We’ve always been good students of US History and the presidents who have played a defining role in it. If you think back to your own days in high school classrooms there’s a good chance that, like us, there are a few presidents that immediately come to mind: the Founding Fathers who shaped the earliest days of the country. Their stories are important to learn about for many reasons, but a little deeper in the history books are the years guided by some of the less recognizable names to hold the office. If you want to bring history to life, one of the best ways to do that is to seek out tours of presidential libraries and houses, which have become our go-to places to learn more about our nation’s leadership.
Luckily for us, our home state of Virginia is known as “The Mother of Presidents” because it has served as the birthplace for more former US presidents than any other state. We have enjoyed many day trips to visit presidential homes, birthplaces, and museums over the years, and we’re excited to highlight some of our favorite sites dedicated to Virginia presidents around the state—both well-known and lesser-known. Visiting these houses can be a great way to learn about those who would go on to lead our country, but it can also be a great way to learn about what life was like at various points in our nation’s history.
If you’re a presidential history geek like us, or if you’re interested in learning more about the early days of our country, consider adding these houses for Virginia Presidents to your list of things to see when you visit the Old Dominion state.
George Washington
1st President of the USA (1789 – 1797)

George Washington grew up in Virginia, and his Mount Vernon estate near Alexandria is a short drive from Washington, DC. Today, it is a beautifully preserved home where you can explore both the inside of the buildings on guided tours as well as the rest of the property, which often hosts weekend events, arts and crafts, and other opportunities to learn about life when the nation was born. There are a few more locations associated with the first president from Virginia, including the George Washington Birthplace Monument just south of Mount Vernon in Colonial Beach, George Washington’s recently discovered boyhood home Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, and George Washington’s Office Museum in Winchester which he used during the French and Indian War.
Fun fact: During his time at Mount Vernon, George Washington had one of the largest distilleries in the United States, producing almost 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799. He also was fond of showcasing a live camel at his home during the winter holidays, and the tradition continues to this day, where every December visitors can say hi to a live Christmas camel!
More Information: Mount Vernon | George Washington’s Birthplace | Ferry Farm | George Washington’s Office Museum
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President of the USA (1801 – 1809)

Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, is located in Charlottesville, and it’s also featured on the back of the US 5¢ Nickel. He loved the property, once writing in a letter, “All my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.” You can visit the home for tours of the interior and exterior of the house, and it has one of the best gift shops we’ve seen if you like colonial souvenirs. We especially enjoyed learning about Jefferson’s passion for books and seeing some of the home’s conveniences that were born of his own invention (including a polygraph designed to make exact copies of his correspondence!).
Another lesser-known house for the Virginia Presidents associated with Thomas Jefferson is Poplar Forest, which is located near Lynchburg. Poplar Forest is strikingly similar to Monticello from a design perspective, and it was used as a private retreat or vacation home for Jefferson and his family. The Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond is also an historic site for Jefferson, as it’s a place where he spent a portion of his childhood; if you’re touring locations for the Virginia presidents, it’s worth a stop to explore!
More Information: Monticello | Poplar Forest | Tuckahoe
Our Post: Monticello and Charlottesville, Virginia: A Walk in Jefferson’s Footsteps
James Madison
4th President of the USA (1809 – 1817)

Today, you can tour James Madison’s Montpelier estate in Orange County, which includes a room where it’s believed Madison spent a substantial amount of time writing the earliest drafts of the constitution. We have found the guided tours to be particularly interesting during our own visits with friends and family. History enthusiasts can also visit another important site at Belle Grove in Port Conway, Virginia, so see the location where James Madison was born. Be sure to look for the state historic marker near the location when you visit.
More Information: Montpellier | James Madison Birthplace (Belle Grove Plantation)
James Monroe
5th President of the USA (1817 – 1825)

There are a few locations around the state that honor the Virginia President, including Oak Hill in Aldie, which is privately owned and not open to the public; Monroe spent time at Oak Hill after his term as President. James Monroe’s most well-known home is Highland (formerly Ash Lawn Highland) in Charlottesville, which is open to the public for tours. It’s also three miles from Jefferson’s Monticello (literally right around the corner!), so you can easily visit both in the same day. If you’re looking for a museum or if you’re interested in artifacts related to Virginia presidents, be sure to visit the old Law Office in Fredericksburg, which is now an official museum and library for James Monroe. Finally, you can also visit a monument in Colonial Beach that marks the birthplace of James Monroe. Located right off state route 205, which is also known as James Monroe Highway, it’s a lesser-known site dedicated to the founding father but it’s worth a stop on your journey to learn about the Virginia presidents.
More Information: Highland | Oak Hill | James Monroe Museum and Library | James Monroe Birthplace
William Henry Harrison
9th President of the USA (1841)

If you’re interested in learning more about the Virginia Presidents, you can visit William Henry Harrison’s Berkeley Plantation home in Charles City and tour the grounds. The location has been used in multiple TV shows and movies like 2019’s Harriet; they even have a permanent exhibit on-site where visitors can see the filming locations for the movie. Another fun fact: the very first Thanksgiving took place at William Henry Harrison’s Berkeley Plantation, long before his birth. While the pilgrims of New England are often credited with having the first Thanksgiving in 1621, it was actually at Berkeley Plantation a few years earlier (in 1619) where the first English speaking Thanksgiving took place!
More Information: Berkeley Plantation
John Tyler
10th President of the USA (1841 – 1845)

Today, the public can visit John Tyler’s Sherwood Forest Plantation located in Charles City to learn more about him. Tours of Sherwood Forest Plantation need to be arranged in advance since the estate is still privately owned by the family. In fact, the house has been owned by John Tyler’s family since 1842, and the current owner is actually his grandson—not his great great grandson, his grandson! John Tyler was born in 1790 and died in 1862; that is one surprising family tree!
More Information: Sherwood Forest Plantation
Zachary Taylor
12th President of the USA (1849 – 1850)

Zachary Taylor had a distinguished career as an officer in the US Army before becoming president in 1849, and he gained much of his fame as a national hero in the Mexican-American War. Sadly, Zachary Taylor died 16 months into his presidency after he contracted acute gastroenteritis from a contaminated meal. While some theories claim he was poisoned, it’s believed that a combination of tainted food and crude medical procedures employed by his doctors ultimately resulted in his early death.
Zachary Taylor was born in Barboursville, Virginia at the Montebello estate. Unfortunately, the location is now on private property, and it’s not open to the public. However, historians and tourists can still drive to the spot and see a historic marker on the side of the road that honors the former President. As an added bonus, there are ruins of a historic mansion designed and built by Thomas Jefferson about 2 miles from this marker. Check out the Barboursville Ruins on your way to or from the Montebello site for a hidden gem related to Virginia presidents!
More Information: Zachary Taylor’s Montebello address
Woodrow Wilson
28th President of the USA (1913 – 1921)

Today, you can visit the Presidential Library and Museum for Woodrow Wilson in Staunton, Virginia to learn more about the former president. The building offers tours and provides documents and artifacts to help educate visitors on Wilson’s life and time in office.
More Information: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum
Map of Houses and Monuments for Virginia Presidents
If you’re planning to visit these locations on your own, be sure to check out the map we created below. We pinpointed all the sites we mention in this article, and we hope it can be useful for you on your own day trips.

This video from Virginia.org provides an additional look at the houses and locations we mention here. Take a look and see if it inspires your own Virginia Presidents adventure!
Visit the Houses of Virginia-born US Presidents!
The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to so much of the USA’s history, from the earliest days of the English Colonies all the way to modern times. The historic houses of Virginia-born presidents are great spots to visit if you’re hoping to learn more about some of the country’s most transformational times and the people who led them. Tour the homes and step back in time to see what life was like for these historical figures before they were leaders of the country; it may make you wonder who the next president from Virginia might be!
More Information: WhiteHouse.gov/presidents
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